Wendy Edsall-Kerwin's Journey as an Artist

CraftForms 2010

Every year there is one exhibition that I apply to no matter what: CraftForms at Wayne Art Center. It’s an exhibition showcasing some the best crafts from around the nation and so far I haven’t been selected. But when I go to visit it, I can see that the level of craft work that they have chosen is phenomenal.

I don’t go every year, but I made a special trip this year because Lisa Call’s art quilt, Dream #41, was accepted and I wanted to see her work in person. Of course her piece was fabulous and it was great being able to see it close-up. I could really see all of the quilting and the subtleties in the dyes on her fabrics. It made love her work even more.

There were other wonderful pieces in the show as well. There were a lot of fiber wall pieces, and I liked the weaving, Aspen Grove, by Sandra Rude. It is a photorealistic depiction of a forest. There was also a really interesting cabinet by Charles Sharbaugh that used inlay to depict a city scape. It was so amazing! He even used the grain of the different woods to show shading and texture in the pictures.

There were also some more abstract pieces that I enjoyed. Jim Connell’s red teapot (which looks totally unusable) has a beautiful crackled surface (not crackle glaze, but actual tiny cracks in the surface of the pot) and and interesting angled spout. Jerry and Deborah Kemode had a wonderful burl bowl with inlayed “stitches” across the natural cracks and crevices. You know I love that idea and I was even thinking about doing that with my own Super Bowl (even before I saw this bowl!)

As for metalwork, there was an amazing collar by Victoria Lansford full of filigree. I can’t even begin to think about all the patience that woman has setting up all the tiny pieces in that huge collar. Another great necklace was by Davina Romansky and featured a cascade of formed silver.

There were a couple of fun pieces there that I liked too. A ladder made of pennies from Stacey Webber’s Craftsmen series and an ode to smores by Becky McDonah. This last piece was like a reliquary, housing an actual marshmallow and charcoal in a metal case made to look like a stick with an impaled marshmallow on it. I particularly liked the ring of fire around the area the actual marshmallow sat in.

There were many other wonderful pieces in the show and everything really worked well together. It’s only up until this Saturday, January 22nd, but if you have the chance I highly recommend going to see it.